Markus Oehlen

Markus Oehlen studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf between 1976-1982, during which time he worked through the wild 1980’s and played in punk bands and became one of the leading representatives of the ”Neue Wilde”, alongside artists like Albert Oehlen (brother), Martin Kippenberger, Werner Büttner and Walter Dahn. The art, fashion, music, literature, film and theatre of this generation created a new tendency that favoured the punk style in opposition to the avant-garde, minimalistic and conceptual art.

Oehlen has a recognisable and vibrant palette. He works with amorphous shapes that move freely - even anarchistic, between each other. Placed in front of Oehlen’s works, the beholder is met by a clear reference to the Op Art style. The painting plays tricks on our consciousness - they mime the collage’s hybrid language in the many paint layers and strong colour compositions. Pop- and surrealistic elements are combined and overlaid into a complex network, where the use of stabilizing grids and a free use of mild colouring and 3D-effects communicate light, depth and rhythm.